


A pair of swans trapped in the sky

by Ash0605



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Bandori Rarepair Week 2020, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Ferris Wheels, Fluff, Kaoru's fear of heights paralyzes her, Shes also really gay hey what else is new, Tags Are Hard, but don't worry Himari is here to help!, date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27442267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash0605/pseuds/Ash0605
Summary: Himari and Kaoru find themselves trapped at the highest point of a ferris wheel while on a date.
Relationships: Seta Kaoru/Uehara Himari
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	A pair of swans trapped in the sky

Signaled by the gentle hum of the engine, the Ferris Wheel carriage started to move along its circular path. The outside of the sturdy steel chassis was painted with a splash of vivid pinks and purples and the roof was decorated with stripes of the same colour scheme. The securely locked door and high railings of the trailer ensured that the people inside wouldn’t be able to fall out unless they deliberately tried to climb out themselves.

Comfort didn’t seem to be the main design philosophy for the inside of the carriage, evidenced by the solid steel floor and the hard plastic seats. The seats on the opposite sides of the carriages allowed for a maximum of four people to comfortably squeeze in. As the only two people in the carriage, Kaoru and Himari had a lot more room for themselves, though this didn’t stop them from sitting close to each other on the same side.

Being in the same carriage as Kaoru created a dilemma for Himari. The Ferris Wheel towered over everything else in the park, allowing an unparalleled view of everything from the rides to the carnival stalls. On the other hand, the distant view of the park was nothing compared to the striking red eyes, vivid purple eyes and gorgeous features of the girl sitting next to her. She had the choice of making the most of her time on the Ferris Wheel or making the most of her time alone with Haneoka’s fleeting prince. As the carriage began to lift itself up from the ground, Himari resolved to try and have it both ways.

She shuffled over to the side of the carriage and peeked her head out the window as far as she dared. Her eyes lit up and she let out a breath of excitement as she surveyed the vast section of the park below. The afternoon sky above the park was bright and crystal clear. “This view is incredible Kaoru-senpai! I can see the way we came in, the place where we bought the popcorn and the entrance to the Ferris Wheel!”

Kaoru let out a light chuckle that prompted Himari’s heart to start jumping over hurdles in her chest. “Such is the power of hindsight. The ability to see our journey from above with fresh eyes is not too dissimilar to the way we perceive our memories.”

Himari rushed back into her seat, quickly placing her palms on her lap. Kaoru had kept up her perfect posture from when she had first sat down. While her left hand rested casually at her side, her right hand rubbed against her chin as she sat in a state of thoughtfulness and reflection. Her mysterious eyes focused their attention straight head or down at the floor instead of the windows at either side of her.

Himari’s eyes darted around the carriage after she sat down and she almost jumped out of her seat when her eyes unexpectedly met Kaoru’s. Her eyes were so gentle, yet so bold, and there was a wonderous twinkle to them that Himari struggled to pull her eyes away from. Before she could stop herself, a bright crimson hue had bloomed across her cheeks. She took a shaky breath as she covered her cheeks with her hands.

Kaoru’s amused chuckle invalidated any progress Himari made towards calming herself down. “Oh dear, what ever could be the reason behind that bright red complexion? You’re as red as the ripest of apples…”

“Ah! I’m gonna look out the other side!” Himari exclaimed, rushing over to the window on Kaoru’s side. Kaoru’s mild laugh behind her was much easier to deal with than the flirtatious retort she was expecting. The view from this side of the carriage was yet to be explored by the pair and was more expansive due to the carriage being higher up than it was before. In an attempt to calm her thundering heart and rushing mind, she decided to try plot out where the pair could go next, surveying the landscape for ideas. “Err… we could… go try the dodgems next? Have you been on one of those before Kaoru-senpai?”

“Once in the past, with a dear friend of mine. Suffice to say… she did most of the work in securing our victory.”

“Perhaps we could get something hot at the restaurant too? Its feeling quite chilly now.” Himari drew her arms into her chest, shielding some bare skin from the cool high altitude air.

“Well… we are up pretty high… consider it my treat.”

“Oh gosh… thank you Kaoru-senpai! What about the rollercoaster too?” Her eyes moved towards said rollercoaster, whose twisting turns and exhilarating drops were only second in height to the Ferris Wheel itself.

It was at this point that Himari realized that their carriage was rapidly approaching the apex of the wheel.

Himari allowed herself one look back at Kaoru before the carriage reached its peak, but she found her eyes focused on Kaoru for longer than she was anticipating. Though Kaoru had retained the same seating position, her entire body seemed tenser. Her eyes were fixated on her lap instead of looking straight ahead. It was subtle, and Himari was surprised she had even noticed, but it was there.

Himari pulled her eyes away from Kaoru and back to the view outside the carriage window. After a few seconds of anticipation, the carriage reached the apex of the circle. Himari marveled at the view once again, encouraged by the fact that their carriage was the highest object in the park at that moment. In fact, considering that Kaoru was sat down, Himari was the highest person in the park at that moment, which was an exhilarating thought to process.

However, instead of continuing along its path and following the circle back down the carriage ground to a halt. The familiar hum of the electric motor was abruptly cut, and Himari and Kaoru found their carriage stuck at the highest point of the circle.

Kaoru let out a shriek as the engine cut out, prompting Himari to turn herself around. She was fully crouched on the seat, her back pressed firmly against the wall of the carriage. Her hands were firmly squeezed against her stomach and her eyes were screwed shut. Kaoru’s breathing alternated between long and shaky and short and shallow.

Himari lowered herself into the seat opposite Kaoru as she tried to process what she was seeing in front of her. It was the first time she had seen Kaoru so shaken, so scared. It seemed so unnatural considering Kaoru’s extravagant and unafraid personality, yet Himari couldn’t deny what was in front of her. It seemed to explain so much about her actions during the ascent too. Her unwillingness to look out the window, her focusing on the floor and straight ahead, the tense posture she had carried herself with just before hand. The answer was so obvious now.

Kaoru Seta was afraid of heights.

The first thing Himari felt was guilt. Why didn’t she realize this before? She had first become smitten with Kaoru after seeing her address Haneoka’s student body from the battlements of a makeshift cardboard castle. Kaoru seemed so invincible and radiant back then, yet the height difference between those battlements and the Ferris Wheel they were at the apex of now was several magnitudes apart. Assuming that there was no problem seemed so natural, yet Himari realized now that it was wrong.

The second thing Himari felt was responsibility. She was certainly shaken up by the events that had just transpired but she was still fine. Hence, she was the only one who could help calm Kaoru down. But what could she do? She couldn’t bake cookies like Lisa could. In fact, she wasn’t even sure whether Kaoru would accept food at this time. She didn’t have the natural calming aura that Lisa seemed to have, nor the ability to defuse any situation she found herself in. The more Himari thought about it the more dejected she became as she realized that (like usual) she was nothing compared to the senior she wanted to be like.

Himari’s thoughts danced around her head desperately as she struggled in her search for a solution. When an embarrassing idea eventually materialized she found herself powerless to stop it. She mustered her courage and rose to her feet, moving to the opposite seat to sit next to Kaoru. After an internal countdown and a deep breath, Himari leaned towards Kaoru and gently wrapped her arms around the other girl’s chest.

Kaoru tensed up and relaxed in the space of less than a second. Though her breathing didn’t return to a regular rate it did become more consistent, with Kaoru taking long deep breaths instead of shaky shallow ones. “Himari-chan… you’re so… you’re so warm…”

Himari laughed awkwardly at the compliment before refocusing herself. “Feel free to relax, Kaoru-senpai! Focus on how warm I am instead of how high we are.” Himari encouraged softly.

After a few seconds of hesitation and apprehension, Kaoru complied. She slumped down in her seat with a shaky sigh. Himari repositioned her arms around Kaoru’s upper chest and rested her head against Kaoru’s shoulder. The most prominent noise for Himari was not the sound of her and Kaoru’s breathing, but the rapid thundering of her heart inside her chest. “I’m not squashing you here, am I?”

“No… it… it feels… really warm…”

“Ehe~! I’m so glad Kaoru-senpai. Just focus on the hug, alright? Don’t worry about how high we are. We’ll be down before you know it.” Himari repositioned her hand to stroke Kaoru’s back in a reassuring gesture.

“Himari-chan… am I… am I still a swan…?” Kaoru asked weakly. She didn’t acknowledge the return of the motor’s gentle hum, nor the fact that they were slowly moving again as a result.

“Of course. You’re the most beautiful swan I’ve ever seen.” Himari replied genuinely without hesitation. “We’re starting to move back down, but don’t worry about breaking out of this hug if you don’t want to. Just relax, ok?”

\----------

Kaoru remained in Himari’s embrace for the rest of the ride down. Despite everything that had gone on, Himari felt disappointed when they had to break apart in order to leave the carriage. Himari supported Kaoru as they made their way towards a place to sit. Kaoru had left the carriage with uneven breathing and trembling legs and by the time she had found an empty bench to sit on she had recovered somewhat; now able to walk on her own again.

The pair collapsed onto the bench, taking a few seconds to regain their composure. Himari was the first to speak when they did. “I’m sorry for making you go through that Kaoru-senpai.” she apologized sorrowfully. “I should have known better.”

“Don’t dwell on it Himari-chan.” Kaoru reassured. “When I look back at our time on that attraction, I’ll think of your bravery and kindness instead of any ignorance you never had.”

“Are you sure Kaoru-senpai? I’m not saying you’re wrong, but… it’s just…ugh…I ruined our date. You can hate me if you want to. I shouldn’t have put you through that.”

“It seems that you still aren’t convinced.” Kaoru chuckled gently. “In that case, I think this should convince you.”

Himari was stirred from her melancholy by the feeling of Kaoru’s hands intertwining with hers. She turned and froze to see Kaoru lifting her hand up to her lips, and her cheeks burned bright red as she felt Kaoru’s lips brush against the back of her hand.

“My dearest kitten. For standing tall when I could not, for doing the right thing in a time of crisis and for going above and beyond the call of duty, I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.”

“K…Kaoru-senpai?!”

Kaoru kept her hands gently wrapped around Himari’s as she continued. “I would be delighted to continue this date with you. Shall we take the continuation to a local restaurant? I’m feeling rather famished and… I would love to experience the warmth of your hugs again.”

Himari felt a surge of happiness flow through her despite her embarrassment. “Yes! I mean.. uhm… I would love to go get dinner with you! And.. uhm… hug you as well.”

“Then it is decided!” Kaoru announced triumphantly. “Now, let us depart!”

“Kaoru-senpai~! Let’s go!”

The pair’s hands remained connected as they strolled off together in the pursuit of dinner. Himari’s heart continued to hammer in her chest, but the delightful surge of energy in her chest made her feel warm and put a skip in her step. Well, it was either that or the feeling of Kaoru’s hand in her own.

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got something out for Rarepair Week! This'll also be my only contribution to it this time I'm afraid. University essays are dumb and stupid. Do I really want to write 2500 words about the policies of the early medieval papacy? Its admittedly quite interesting, but no I don't. I want to talk about Himari and Kaoru and why they are really great! My appreciation for Kaoru and the simps have skyrocketed recently and I'm not sure why. I'm blaming the pico episode.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! If you have any comments or feedback feel free to leave them here! If you want to reach out on twitter feel free to do so at @ash060500
> 
> I hope you have a good rest of your day and I wish you the best in staying safe!


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